Garnier Ultra Blends Shampoo - Mythic Olive

Hi Everyone,

I've always shared reviews of products that I've really liked, on my blog. But Blogging for me isn't only about sharing information about products I like; I feel that if there's something that I've tried several times and still hasn't worked for me, it's got to come up on the blog too, so that you all can make an informed decision.

I'm here today to share my views on the new Garnier Ultra Blends Shampoo in Mythic Olive. **spoiler alert** I don't like this one.. and I mean AT ALL... :-( Read on to know why.

Let's first see what made me pick this one up - 

• Scent - It's got a lovely, olive-ey fragrance to it, which made me get this variant in this first place.
• Beautiful packaging - Great job on the packaging. In fact, all the variants in this range have an attractive packaging that is very different from each other.
• Price point - ₹120 . The budget-product junkie in me did a lil dance in the aisle.
• Product claim - Since it said that the shampoo was for dry & under-nourished hair, I was more intriguied. It said that it could make the hair silkier and smoother. I thought wow! sounds great for my kinda hair.
• Paraben Free & has Natural Extracts - I was really happy to know that the product was paraben-free. That sealed the deal for me & the shampoo successfully made it's way into the shopping cart.

Here's why I can't get myself to like it inspite of using it for over 5 washes now -

• Makes hair extremely dry and frizzy - BBBIGGG turn-off!! I can actually feel my hair getting extremely dry and tangled during the wash, yes you heard it right...DURING the wash. I dunno if I got a bad batch product, or it's just my hair but I have other shampoos doing at least 50% of what they claimed in terms of smoothening & softening...certainly didn't expect this one to do the complete opposite. :-( I wanna cry now...!!

• The more I kept it on my hair during the wash, the more dry and brittle my hair became. After the 1st wash I thought, maybe I need to keep it for a couple of mins more. Dry Hair. I thought maybe I need to reduce the time, so I tried that. Dry Hair. By the 4th wash, I dreaded the product but still went for it cuz you know... 120 bucks man! lol

Here I have to confess that I haven't picked up the conditioner in this Olive variant. I'm not sure if they have one because I didn't see one on the shelves that day. Also, generally, I don't have the time for a conditioner, every time I shampoo. The conditioning bit happens every now and then, but not always. Yes, of course it is a ''bad beauty habit'' I have :-( but don't tell me there aren't others like me :-P

In the end, I ended up feeling like I HAVE TO buy the conditioner to get the best use out of this shampoo... which is very silly. Shouldn't the shampoo be cleansing & slightly nourishing on the hair, by itself? Anyway, I'm planning to pick up the conditioner soon, cuz without it, I do not... I repeat... DO NOT see myself using this product again. So basically, to salvage the money I spent on buying this, I have spend some more :-( Not recommending this to anyone!! Okay I gotta go cry some more... :-P

Have you tried out the Garnier Ultra Blends Shampoo in Mythic Olive? How was your experience? Let me know your thoughts on it, in the comments section below.

Until the next post folks, Ciao..!!

One-Toned Makeup Look (Ideal for Workplace)

Hi Everyone,

Feels so good to reconnect with everyone through my lil blog! Yes, I have been away but that hasn't kept me far from my makeup & most importantly - playing around with it & creating different looks. One such look struck me as something I should share with everyone who likes minimalistic makeup. This look is ideal for your workplace but can be worn anywhere you like.

Here's my take on a One-Toned Makeup Look -

Base Makeup - Cleanse and prep your skin with moisturiser. I skipped foundation & went straight for concealer in this one. I used the Derma Color Concealer in the shade DFD to cover up the under-eye dark circles, blemishes & any other pigmentation on my skin. To set the base, I used my all time favourite compact, the Rimmel London Stay Matte powder in the shade 005 Silky Beige.

Eyes - Once the base was done, I moved on to the eyes. I stuck to earthy brown tones overall, in this look but you can choose the tone you want. The same makeup done is muted coral tones would also look great... Let me know if you want to see a post on that, in the comments below. For the eyes, I used two tones of brown - one lighter & the other slightly darker from the Wet n Wild ColorIcon Eyeshadow palette in "Comfort Zone". I used the lighter shade on the eyelid concentrating more on the inner half. I ditched the eyeshadow brush & dabbed the darker brown with my ring finger on the outer part of the eyelid. Then, using the same eyeshadow brush that I used before, I blended these two shades together. The lighter brown will bring some light on to the eyes, while the dark shade on the outer part will bring depth & definition to the crease.

To keep the eyes subtle, I skipped eyeliner & lined the lower lashline with my all time favourite kohl Lotus Herbal ColorKick Kajal. If you wish to see a close-up of the eye makeup, you can check it out HERE on my Instagram profile.

Products Used

Blush (Bronzer) & Lipstick - I skipped my usual blush for a bronzer this time as I wanted to maintain the earthy tone in this look. I used the bronzer from my ELF Blush-Bronzer Duo. For lipstick I used the Mauve1 shade from the Maybelline Lip Gradation range. I am so sorry I don't have a picture of that shade. I swapped it with my SIL when she was here for a visit. BTW, it looks fab on her!! Such a beautiful shade this Mauve1 is, I tell you! On another note, I bet you can take one look at the pic above and know how much love these products have received ;-)

You obviously don't need as many or the same products that I've used. You can recreate this look with products of your choice, add or take away some if u wish :-) For me, Makeup is all about having fun with colours & experimenting. It takes me away for sometime & I like that. Laugh it off if you will, but it's therapeutic in some ways ;-)

Hope you liked this simple "One-Toned" look. Do share your thoughts in the comments section below. Until the next post, Ciao!!!

Back on the Blog!

Hi Everyone,

How have you all been? It's been a while, right? :-) I'm back on the blog after what feels like ages. After a whirlwind 3 months, along came July & I realised that I'm missing blogging a bit too much. Mr. Husband knew the writer in me wanted to write but the "tech-dud" in me was horribly slow at typing on the Tablet. So he gifted this to me ---

A keyboard for me to 'type away to glory' lol ... ain't he a sweetheart? :-) Thank you Mr.Husband..! You rock...!! 

So here I am, with my very first post from our new home in Mangalore. The rains arrived here in June & it's pouring here today; but I'm feeling all bright & sunny thanks to my lil blog. Gosh, how I missed it!! And I missed you guys... Heartfelt thanks to all those of you who checked on me to see why I wasn't around; also to those who sent me messages saying they're missing my posts & asked me get back soon! 'Pakka promise' I'll be more regular on the blog henceforth.

If you follow me on Instagram, you already know that I've been posting way too many "LOTD - Lips of the Day" posts. Lol here are just SOME of them...



Lol :-P It's not just lipsticks but generally going through my stash & discovering "oldies but goodies" is my new thing.

Here are my social media details, in case you're interested :
Facebook : https://www.instagram.com/nehavinekar/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/nehavinekar/ (quite active here nowadays)
Twitter : https://mobile.twitter.com/nehavinekar
Snapchat : tld.neha

So stick around... wait & watch for what's coming up next!! Bye for now & catch y'all soon...